ITW Publications

New York, N.Y., July 9, 2013 – In an unprecedented collaboration, 23 of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers will pair their series characters in an 11-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and to be published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

The stories in Face Off will feature such pairings as Michael Connelly’s Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch joining forces with Dennis Lehane’s Patrick Kenzie in the story Red Eye and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport teaming up with Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme in Rhymes with Prey. All of the contributors are ITW members and the project will be edited by ITW member and #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, who says, “This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for readers. It’s only through ITW that we were able to bring these literary legends toe to toe. I’m honored to be at the helm of this amazing ship.”

Senior Editor Sarah Knight acquired world rights to Face Off, the fourth anthology that ITW has published and the first with Simon & Schuster. Knight says, “This will be a treasure trove for thriller fans—it doesn’t get any better than these writers, with these characters, all in one blockbuster book.”

S&S plans to publish in June 2014, just in time to celebrate at ThrillerFest, the gathering of ITW that happens each July in New York City. Already, foreign rights have been sold to Great Britain, with more sales to come.

ITW is represented by Dan Conaway of Writer’s House. Each author has donated his or her story and all of the proceeds from the book go to fund ITW, which charges no dues to its members. “It’s part of what we do, as ITW members,” said New York Times bestselling author, Steve Berry, who will serve as managing editor working with Baldacci.

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.simonsays.com.

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Jeffery Deaver conceived of the characters and put the plot into motion and Jim Fusilli leant a sharp editorial eye, finely orchestrating this chorus of suspense that includes such top writers as Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, Gayle Lynds, P.J. Parrish and many others.

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